In June of 2003, the burgeoning pirate comics market (which meant something different before all you bastards started downloading them off the 'Net) got a kick in the pantaloons thanks to Scurvy Dogs, a small press book that followed the trials and tribulations of a small band of pirates trying to make it in the cynical modern world. As we related to the heartbreak of these pirates cleaning out the grease traps of corporate America, suffering the slings and arrows of monkey infestation and battling one of the many roving gangs of hobos now all but extinct outside New Jersey, we all grew to love these pirates, to welcome them into our homes, cars and broken-down trailers. Hollywood even rushed out a pirate film loosely based on Scurvy Dogs, releasing it almost simultaneously with the first issue of the comic to good notices, mostly relating to Johnny Depp's performance as "What If Keith Richards were a pirate?", a hypothetical that Yount and Boyd had to then abandon in later issues, replacing it with "What If Menudo produced a pirate?" instead. Then, of course, the fall, as pirate fever gave way to mere pirate rash and then pirate whooping cough, and soon you could find souvenir doubloons and used parrots in bargain bins at every neighborhood Wal-Mart, and Boyd and Yount both had to return to work in the porn industry. Now, however, AIT/Planet Lar has seen fit to give Scurvy Dogs a more enduring legacy in the form of this commemorative trade paperback edition, complete with commentary from its rum-soaked creators and a variant "treasure map" cover edition in every thousandth copy.
Most of what I wrote above, of course, is filthy lies, but here is what isn't: Scurvy Dogs is damn funny. I thought so when I first read it, I still think so now. A good humor comic can make me smile or give me something to relate to someone later as kind of a funny story. A great humor comic has me laughing out loud to the point where people are staring at me, and I have to show them what's making me laugh, which causes them to break up as well. Scurvy Dogs is a great humor comic. Boyd and Yount mix a flair for the bizarre with expert comic timing and a simple but deranged premise to create one of the finest, funniest humor comics I've ever read.
The premise, for those of you coming in late, is that pirates can be funny, and that pirate stories based largely around silly, stupid pop culture references and unusual personalities can be downright hilarious. Over the course of the five issues (and one guest appearance in Vampirella) reprinted here, Yount and Boyd cover a number of situations where being a pirate seems outrageously funny. Pirates getting "landlubber" jobs in offices or restaurants without adapting their methodology or attire to their new surroundings, pirates having dating problems (everything ranging from awkward conversations to manatee murder), pirates battling monkeys, hobos or vikings from the future, pirates selling out and becoming commercially famous and then flaming out like all good celebrities for our amusement.
It's so hard to really express the joy of Scurvy Dogs without ruining the jokes. But I will say that this is one of the most quotable humor comics you can find. This trade is full of lines and moments that became a running gag amongst my group of comics-reading friends every time a new story came out. From funny non-sequiturs, such as "C'mon, boys, let's show these portuguese lepers why we call them 'the pinatas of the sea'", to simple one-liners that remind one so easily of the pure comic timing, like "Yar," Boyd and Yount have note-perfect comedic timing and dialogue that is laugh-out-loud funny. The characters deliver punchlines that are often nonsensical if taken at face value, but their timing and the sincerity with which they express sentiments like "Monkeys. Pah! Filthy animals. The pigeons of the sea."
This book is filled with the sort of insane stream of consciousness pop culture referencing that takes place between friends late at night when you're stoned, drunk, hungover or just tired, and everything is funny. The miracle of Scurvy Dogs is that even in the bright light of day, when these gags have been put down on paper, they're still funny. There's something inherently funny about modern-day pirates to me anyway, but Boyd and Yount have always used this book as a jumping-off point for pop culture humor. They hit on any number of pop cultural touchstones, everything from Huey Lewis and the News to Menudo to Buck Rogers, and it's the esoteric nature of their referencing, as much as the sheer incongruity of it all, that makes it so much fun. They don't shy away from the obscure, either, but for a guy in his early thirties like me, they're hitting the same TV I used to watch as a kid, and with the advent of cable networks like Nickelodeon, Sci-Fi and others, none of this stuff is as obscure as it used to be. Still, you've got to respect the ballsy decision to use Dr. T from Buck Rogers as a major character in the story, or to reference Anson Williams as a plot point, or to have a running gag involving a Speak and Say.
While the dialogue and general plots are a big part of what I found enjoyable in Scurvy Dogs, I also have to give credit to Yount for the artwork. In reading the trade, you can watch Yount's style growing from issue to issue, and the commentary has Yount noting that he chose to go more cartoony as time went on, a decision that absolutely served the story. The key skill that Yount brings to the table on the art front is perfect comic timing, but his designs for the characters, who are often ugly in just the right, amusing way or who have little design touches like a "Frankie Say Relax" T-Shirt or a colander on their heads, are enough to put one in the right humorous mood from the start. Yount also does great over-the-top violence, usually shown off screen while flying blood coats the in-panel characters, and the fight scenes with the lepers and monkeys or the vulture attack on Jefe have that Tarantino-esque "blood and violence" are funny quality of Kill Bill Volume 1 and Pulp Fiction.
When it comes to these deluxe trades, few do it better than AIT/Planet Lar, and they don't skimp on the extras this time out either. Yount and Boyd's commentary is surprisingly restrained, less wacky and more actually informative, but there are some extra laughs to be found there, and at any rate, it's interesting to get some insights into the creation of this unusual comic. I was also quite pleased by the sketchbook and pinup gallery, and by the inclusion of the Vampirella story, a comic tidbit that most Scurvy Dogs fans probably missed the first time around. Scurvy Dogs Rags to Riches is a great collection of a great series. 10/10
